Former Vigor football star Sen'Derrick Marks chose to sign a one-year contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars before the 2013 season because he thought first-year coach Gus Bradley's defensive scheme would be a good fit for him. Turns out he was right, and on Friday, the defensive tackle signed a new contract with the Jags, reported at four years for $22 million.

"It's very cool," Marks said. "I didn't expect it. I thought it was going to go all the way until the offseason, but I was never worried about what would happen. My job is to go out and continue to play. We still have a game left, so I didn't even think about it."

Jacksonville owns a 4-11 record heading into its regular-season finale on Sunday. By all accounts Marks has been one of the team's bright spots. Marks has started every game this season and has carried a heavy load in the Jaguars' defensive line, playing 84 percent of the snaps. He has made 28 tackles with four sacks and broken up seven passes.

"It's all about the direction we're heading and the direction we want to go," Bradley said. "He's done a great job -- a great job competing, a great job leading with our younger guys. Every day, we know exactly what we're getting from him."

Reports from Jacksonville cited sources that said Marks' new deal included $8 million in guaranteed money.

"The player wanted to here, we wanted him to be here and we were able to do it before the season ended and put some of the money into this year's salary cap," Jacksonville general manager Dave Caldwell said.

Marks was a second-round draft pick out of Auburn by the Tennessee Titans in 2009, and he spent his first four seasons with the Titans before becoming a free agent after the 2012 season.

"The more you're around Sen, the more you appreciate him," Caldwell said. "He's just a really good person, not only on the field but off the field to have in your building. ... He's a great guy to be around, he brings a great sense of levity to the locker room and to the field, but also is very serious about his craft."